Ethiopia, Syria, Brazil.
Today's three stories you should know.
Ethiopia
Bad news in Ethiopia. After a five-month humanitarian ceasefire it appears major fighting has broken out again with residents reporting the use of heavy weaponry. The truce had been agreed to allow desperately-needed humanitarian aid into the Tigray region, where a war has raged for almost two years now, where millions of people are in need of basic services and where thousands are at risk of starving to death. Tigrayan rebels, the TPLF, accused the Ethiopian government of breaking the truce and launching a large-scale offensive. But the Ethiopian government pointed the finger back at the TPLF, accusing them of starting the violence. UN chief António Guterres said he was “shocked” and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Syria
The Pentagon has said it is aware of “an exchange of fire” involving its forces on the ground in Syria. Anonymous US military officials later told the Reuters news agency that they had carried out a counter-attack after taking rocket fire from a suspected Iran-aligned militia. The incident comes a day after Washington carried out air raids in Syria apparently targeting areas used by militias supported by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Iranian militias have been key in helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turn the 10-year civil war in his favor and retake most of the country.
More from Reuters here.
Brazil
High political drama in Brazil today. Police have raided the houses of eight businessmen who took part in a WhatsApp group chat in which they spoke favorably of a possible coup and military intervention in the country’s politics. The searches come ahead of elections in October that some worry could cause unrest. President Jair Bolsonaro has said the electoral system is vulnerable to fraud, leading many to believe he may refuse to accept the result of the election should he lose.
More from AP here.